This sermon emphasizes the importance of allowing the Spirit to work in people's hearts rather than trying to forcefully persuade or manufacture change. It highlights the need for complete dependence on God's Spirit to bring about true heart transformation and the importance of abiding in God's love as the source of obedience and joy. The speaker also reflects on the danger of making revival or outward success an idol, stressing the ultimate priority of experiencing and enjoying a deep relationship with Jesus.

We mess things up sometimes by trying too hard to convince people to do something, because what I see Jesus do is, he who has ears let him hear. So this way, if the person's heart has really been changed and you present the word to them, they're gonna have ears to hear and do it. And I think sometimes by, come on you guys, we've got to do this, you know, then we talk people into doing exactly what you're saying, maybe one quick action or something when their heart really hasn't been changed. I've been thinking about that lately. It's like, God, I don't want to, in my zeal, I don't want to be talking people into something to make them feel a little bit better that they did a little act here, because of the way I communicate or I get so excited about it. And it shouldn't be more of a, he who has ears, let him hear, here's what the word of God says. But we do live in a time where someone can read a scripture and, you know, unless a dynamic communicator comes along and explains it really well, when they already knew what it said, that maybe, I don't know, maybe I overthink things. No, I mean, I think that's right on, I think. And what, where that leaves me is, and just complete and total dependence on the spirit to create that, the hearing, and to create the heart change that has to happen there. And instead of trying to manufacture it, instead of trying to use all the means, okay, how can we make this happen? How can we cajole somebody? How can we persuade somebody? Now, obviously, like when I share the gospel with somebody individually, or when I preach the gospel, like I want to urgently persuade people to trust in Christ. But at the same time, yeah, I want to trust that the spirit will do that work. And I can't manufacture that, I can't make that happen. That's a good word. And it just drives back to something we've talked about a good bit, but just the need for prayer in this whole picture, for God to do what only God can do. Because we can't, we can't make disciples, we can't make disciple makers. I mean, only the, what did Augustine say? Only God can do the work of God. Like, it's true. And if we're not careful, we do, I think, spend a lot of time trying to manufacture that. It just results in a fleshly picture. Yeah, and it's not this love. Powerless. Yeah, loveless, powerless. Yeah. Like, do you, at the end of the day, are you in love with Jesus Christ? That I can't, I can't make that happen. I can't create that. I can convince someone to do something here or there. But when you talk about the great command, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, like, you can never make that happen. And Jesus says that, you know, it's the spirit who gives life. The flesh is of no help at all. And to try to remember that and to keep the focus on loving Jesus, loving Jesus. This is all an outflow of because I'm so in love with him versus do this, do this, do this, or you're going to hell. Like, I don't ever want to come across that way. And I fear sometimes I do that. And at the core of it, it's got to be love. It's got to come from, you know, a response to this gospel and understanding it and just loving the gospel and loving this God who did that for you. It's like, I gladly trust you. I gladly follow you. Like, I want that so badly. And yet some of Jesus's words too, though, you go, gosh, he was hard. He was very hard, harder than I am. And I want to be careful not to... You and I have talked a good bit about John 15 along those lines. Remember, you and I were at a conference where you were preaching John 15. But wow, just when Jesus commands his disciples, remain in my love. Like, what a beautiful command. Abide in my love. Like, just stay there. If you keep my commandments, you'll abide in my love. Just as I've kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Like, when we know his love, when we know his love for us, when we are filled with love for him, this is the spring from which obedience flows. It's love and joy, full joy. Like, the other day I was just, I was in these verses again and just freshly reminded of I'm commanded to remain in his love and to find joy in his love for me and over a response of love to him that is an obedience to him. This is... Yeah, it's got to be that. I just stopped here. Go ahead. One last thought because I'm going to forget it. But I think even as we move forward in this, everything we do has to be about love, has to be about, because I just love God and I want to experience him and I want to enjoy him. Because what I was sharing with my guys the other morning is I realized that revival had become like an idol, like where I would get frustrated, you know, that, man, how come all the people in this apartment building aren't falling in love with Jesus? Come on, something's wrong. And I wanted that revival so much, even though God, I would see supernatural things so regularly and be so amazed by it. But then there'd be this bummer, oh, man, but this isn't happening. I thought there'd be hundreds getting saved. I thought people were going to repent and this and that. And just reminding myself that Jesus never promised that revival. In fact, you know, Paul told Timothy, look, in the last days, you know, people are going to reject this. And our joy needs to be, you know, the Matthew 28, I'll be with you always. And I was telling the guys, look what we've seen so far. None of us can deny that Jesus has been answering our prayers, walking alongside of us. We've seen the power of the Holy Spirit. But these people, they still haven't repented. But Jesus, look, even if someone rose from the dead and they saw it, they still wouldn't repent. So the guarantee of this is I'm going to walk closely with the Lord. He's going to be with me. I'm going to experience him. This is the one thing that I ask. This is the one thing I seek. I just want his presence. I just love Jesus even more than I love revival, even more than I'd love to see other people repent. I want that. I love that. But I want this to be about Jesus. And even as we go forward, it's like, I want to experience Jesus. I want to fellowship with him. And through this, I don't want to force something, say, oh, it happened. Look at all the people that showed up. Look at all the people that are a part of multiplying it. Yeah, that misses the whole point. It's empty. But yeah, I don't think I have anything to add to that. May it be so. May just a love for Christ, an experience of Christ's love, just permeate our lives as disciples of Jesus and disciple makers and more and more and more people knowing his love and remaining in his love and experiencing the power and intimacy of his presence in that way. May it be so.